Fair Play
by Saki-Rose Chan
Summary: It isn't everyday that a curious game of love and chance is played between a young prince and a beautiful empress.
1. First Play: A Formal Meeting

**What am I doing with another short story? The world has yet to know.**

**Anyway, this is the new story I will be working on after the ending of A Fashion Disaster - which has one more chapter left - and since most of you picked the word "royals" in the reviews of my other story, this is the story that was to be published if most of you voted on the word "royals" (you'll find out what you were supposed to get with "exes" eventually). This idea came to me when I was, in fact... just thinking about Code Geass and staring at the word empress (because that is strangely one of my favorite words, it holds a lot of power) and looking at a picture of Lelouch and C.C. in this really pretty formal wear from the movie... I won't go on, though, so I will let you all read and please tell me what you think in the reviews once you're done. I always am open to feedback.**

**Enjoy! **

Lelouch was a young prince of the Royal Britannian Family. He was the eleventh prince, seventeenth in line for the throne, and twenty-one years old, leaving him to be one of the younger children within the family and basically having no chance or claim to the throne ever in his life.

As a prince, Lelouch was use to many things that were deemed abnormal from the eye of a regular commoner. For example, his father, the 98th Emperor of the Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia, had many wives - He was known to have had the most wives of any Britannian Emperor or Empress in history, which was the result of the many half-siblings Lelouch and his own full-blood siblings had. His father had eight empresses, the youngest of the eight women being his own mother, Marianne vi Britannia, but he had not married since his marriage to her twenty-one years ago.

Strangely enough, but not to be put pass his father, Charles zi Britannia had taken a liking to a young maiden. She was a noble woman, known to be the head of the Knights of Geass; the woman had been a former Knight of Geass herself until his father's sudden interest and interference with her work had forced her to lead but without the position of a knight. He had only seen the woman when she formerly around on guard, but never had he met or spoken with her because she was mostly outside the palace walls rather than within, except on a few occasions.

She was almost similar to his own mother - A former Knight of Round, who was now head of the said highest ranking knights in all of Britannia.

So, with the blessings of the young maiden's parents, she had been quickly married off to the Emperor, officially becoming the ninth and youngest empress of Britannia.

Cecilia lu Britannia.

He was never sure how the woman had felt about the marriage or even his father - unlike many of the empresses who always wanted the attention of the emperor - but she took her role quietly and without fight as the next empress because… His father always got what he wanted.

Cecilia was a beautiful woman with pale skin, glowing golden eyes, and silky green hair. She usually wore a black dress with a long, ruffle skirt and a ribbon tied around her head in a bow. She was a quiet empress, never talking to anyone unless necessary. When she did speak, nothing but snarky and mischievous comments left her mouth that would leave people speechless.

Unlike most of the wives who kept to themselves and out of the public, Empress Cecilia was a very active woman. Not only was she over the Knights of Geass, but she was always out and about feeding the poor and homeless, helped out his own mother with preparing the events that went on in the palace, and always made sure that everything was in order outside the palace walls.

Empress Cecilia did not like discrimination, judgement, or manipulation, which is something most Britannians seemed to have a hand, a result of past colonization.

As he did with most of his family, he was never around her or the other wives, preferring to spend time with his younger siblings, Nunnally and Rolo, in the gardens of the palace or somewhere in the city if they were allowed to. It kept him preoccupied when he wasn't doing any tedious princely duties.

Her formally met her one day in the Exelica Gardens, taking a stroll with a Knight of Geass on guard just a few feet behind on watch. Just as he did, he noticed she seemed to love the roses that grew within the garden the most and admired them with the softest of smiles among her face.

He had been standing near by, admiring them himself when she spoke.

"I like the red ones the most," she spoke in a soft, silky voice. "Because they represent love. It's something I have yet to genuinely experience while being within the walls of this palace. Which ones do you love the most?"

Lelouch didn't hesitate, answering, "I favor the white ones the most, if I must pick. They represent a purity and innocence that I wish the world was."

"Is that so?" the young empress walked over to him and put out her hand. "I am Cecilia lu Britannia, the ninth empress of Britannia."

The raven haired prince took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of her knuckles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear empress. I am Lelouch vi Britannia, son of Empress Marianne vi Britannia."

"Oh, Marianne talks about you very much," Cecilia smiled lightly. "She loves you and your siblings dearly, does she not?"

"I would hope that my mother would," Lelouch replied.

Empress Cecilia removed her hand from Lelouch's hold and turned to walk down a stone path, gesturing for Lelouch to follow her with the black and golden fan in her hand. He followed suit, easily falling into step with her pace.

"You have a knight, no?" Cecilia assumed and Lelouch shook his head, a small look of annoyance appearing on his handsome face.

"I do, in fact. He is the Knight of Seven, Sir Suzaku Kururugi, but he is also the knight to my younger sister, Princess Euphemia li Britannia. She is not in Britannia right now, so he has left with her as an escort," Lelouch told her. "I insisted. Until then, I have a temporary knight."

She smiled in amusement. "Hmm, how funny is it that you two share a knight. I have never heard of such a thing."

"It was a decision made by the emperor, seeing as my sister and I failed to come to an agreement on who Sir Kururugi would serve. He is my best friend after all."

"A Japanese knight? Your best friend?" Cecilia said in curiosity, tilting her head slightly in question.

"He grew up on the palace grounds with us mostly because he was sent from Japan by his father to train to become a knight for disclosed reasons," Lelouch explained to her, but the empress did not miss how he had fisted his hands together behind his back until they turned white. " Enough about me. How did such a young woman as yourself come to be my father's empress?"

"That is a story for another time, Prince Lelouch, but I can say that it is quite strange being among the other empresses who happen to be much older women. We have nothing in common." She chuckled as she tucked a loose string of hair behind her ear.

"How old are you, Lady Cecilia?" Lelouch asked, his curiosity spiking after her small statement.

The woman smirked slightly at him. "Isn't it rude to ask a lady's age, dear prince?"

Lelouch sent her a smirk back. "Well, I do have to assume you are only a few years older than me."

Cecilia's smirk widened. "That's where you are wrong, darling. I am not much younger than you. Twenty years old is quite young for an empress, wouldn't you think?"

It took Lelouch all his manners he had learned as a prince over the years to not do a double take. "You are twenty only?" His eyes did widen slightly.

"I am a year younger than you then, correct?" Cecilia chuckled. "Your father has interesting taste."

"Does he expect you to bear any children?" Lelouch couldn't help but ask.

"I would rather not do so and he has not made a fuss about it, so I only assume it doesn't matter to him whether I do or not. There is enough of you already."

"A few too many," Lelouch chuckled and he had realized they had come to the end of their path, now standing in front of the very lake he and his siblings use to play in front of when they were younger. "Well, Lady Cecilia, I must say it was a pleasure to talk to you," he said, noticing the sun starting to set.

The empress herself took notice of the setting sun herself and hummed lowly. She took a few steps closer to him with a smirk hidden behind her fan. She leaned in close, removing the fan just slightly from her face and whispered in his ear, "It was a pleasure to talk to you as well, Prince Lelouch."

Once she put enough space back between them, Lelouch bowed slightly with a small smirk of his own. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, empress," the prince said with more charm than necessary, causing the young empress to give him a smile.

"As well as to you, dear prince."

The empress disappeared back down the path, her knight following closely behind her and unknowingly having left the young Britannian prince curious and highly amused, and in secret hope that he would be able to meet her once again.

~.~


	2. Second Play: The Ball

**I know it's been over a month. In fact, I was supposed to have the next to last chapter out of A Fashion Disaster before this, but I had finals exams and was really busy with school, so I had not time to update either, but now that I'm done with school now, it's me and these stories once again. I already had this written, so I decided to just put this chapter out instead and A Fashion Disaster will be updated sometime this weekend.**

**Now I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I had writing it. Please give feedback at the end if you will or can.**

**Enjoy!**

Cecilia lu Britannia sat bored at the head table, fanning herself with her signature gold and black fan while observing the crowd full of nobles, royals, and knights with her sharp golden eyes.

She was always bored at these functions simply because she was only expected to greet people with fake smiles, dance until her feet started to ache in her black heels, and drink away until she could feel the buzz in her head start to take a toll on her. It was the worst part about being a young woman of a high status. At these functions, she was supposed to sit and be pretty and have mindless fun.

It was always the same pattern.

Though, this was her official first ball in the palace as an empress of Britannia.

The young empress thought she was going to be continuously bored the rest of the night, stuck watching men fail to flirt with available women and other young women her age giggle in small groups of circles while also trying to catch the attention of handsome nobles or princes - who were more than likely full of money - until she saw _him._

Prince Lelouch was conversing with a king from a neighboring country - the king of Ireland, if she could remember correctly - and holding a class of untouched wine. She smiled to herself lightly in amusement at the expression on his handsome face. She could pick out a false face of interest with her eyes closed, but the Irish king carried on with innocence, not noticing how the prince mostly just nodded along and listened to whatever the king was rambling on about absentmindedly.

It was at that moment she decided she would interfere with the conversation and make her presence known to the prince. She'd be his empress in black lace to swoop him up and save him, so with her back straight and a small pep in her step, Empress Cecilia made her journey over to the two conversing royals, but that didn't mean her journey would be made easy for her.

She was stopped by none other than one of the empresses, Victoria li Britannia; also known as the mother of Cornelia and her younger sister, Euphemia. Out of all the other empresses, Victoria was the kindest among them. Not to mention she was as beautiful as Marianne vi Britannia with her long, dark pink hair hanging in ringlets, a full face with peach skin, and dark purple eyes. A gentle smile crossed her face as she greeted Cecilia in a gentle voice. "Good evening, Cecilia-dear."

She had to stop herself from frowning at the term "dear". The empresses never used it as a term of endearment but as a term that would let someone know she was much younger than the others. They used it in a strange motherly way she hated, but she just let it pass most of the time.

Maybe they felt sympathy for her.

After all, she was only twenty.

Cecilia gave the pink haired empress a small bow, smiling at her and putting away the fan in her hand, hooking it safely on the side of her dress. "Good evening to you as well, Victoria."

Victoria smiled at her again brightly and it made her think that maybe it wasn't quite so bad being stopped in the middle of her journey towards her goal when it was too hard to treat this woman the way she treated the other empresses - besides Marianne. It was now that she finally discovered who Euphemia inherited her personality from.

"I hope you are enjoying the ball, dear. I know it's your first one as an empress of the palace, is it not?" Victoria told her, folding her hands in front of her in a polite manner. "I would hate for you to be bored. You are quite young after all. Only a year older than my dearest Euphemia."

Cecilia stole a glance at Prince Lelouch who had slipped away from the man he had been talking to earlier and was now having a conversation with a tall, foreign looking man with curly brown hair and the official Knights of Round uniform on. That must have been the knight he was speaking of that time in the gardens. He was quite a sight on the eyes. No wonder Euphemia wanted claim to him.

"Thank you, Victoria. I am enjoying myself very well," Cecilia said, adding a fake smile to her telltale.

"I am pleased to hear such, Cecilia-dear. Please do enjoy yourself the rest of the evening dear," the pink haired empress said. She bowed slightly before going on her way and disappearing into the crowd.

Cecilia let out the deep breath that she didn't realize she had been holding before continuing on her way to the young prince who was now standing by himself. She wondered where the knight had gone, seeing as she was eager to meet the man herself, but she would put that off until another day.

Her goal was Prince Lelouch.

Just when the empress was less than a few feet away from him, he caught her gazing at him and the prince threw her a small smile - one that she was sure had a hint of amusement to it. His amethyst eyes didn't hide it.

When she arrived - which had almost felt like an eternity for her - he placed his on the table nearby and bowed. "Good morning, Lady Cecilia."

"Good evening to you as well, Prince Lelouch," Cecilia smiled elegantly. "You've been to many of these as a prince of the imperial palace, but I hope you're enjoying the ball, hmm?"

"I'm enjoying it about as much as you are, Lady Cecilia." Lelouch smiled charmingly, and at that moment, the empress knew he was able to tell how bored she was just from her lack of interaction with _these _people. She barely liked any of them. It was the reason she preferred to never be in the public eye much.

"Hmm, now that isn't much, is it?" the young empress rose an eyebrow in amusement, hooking her fan off her of her dress and hiding the quirk of her mouth behind it. This prince was interesting to her. He could keep up with her.

Not everyone could do that.

Lovely.

"It depends on how much or how little you'd like it to be."

"Then… Entertain me, prince."

He chuckled lowly and stuck out a large hand that was too thin and gentle looking to be a man's. She wondered if he ever did anything to keep his hands busy. "Tell me, Empress Cecilia, do you enjoy a good waltz?"

"Any royal would, wouldn't they?"

"That is quite correct," Lelouch chuckled as Cecilia placed her hand in his and he guided her to the dance floor, ignoring some of the passing strange looks that they were given.

It wasn't everyday a prince danced with one of the empresses.

"Ah, you're a graceful dancer," Cecilia complimented, noticing how light Lelouch was on his feet. It was almost as if they were floating on air as he led them across the dance floor.

"I was given many dance lessons by my younger sisters. They were better than the lessons given to us by our dance teachers. They said it was always proper for a young man to know how to dance if he were to ever dance with a beautiful lady," Lelouch told her softly; a slight smirk appeared on his face at the last part of his sentence and Cecilia returned it.

Lelouch grabbed her by the waist and picked her up, spinning her around gracefully before lightly landing the empress back on her feet. He secured a hand on her lower back and intertwined their hands once again with the other. "Hmm, is that a compliment of my looks I hear?"

"It's whatever you'd like it to be, my empress."

"You're a funny prince," she told him before her eyes caught a glimpse of the couple in front of them.

It was the knight, Sir Kururugi, and Princess Euphemia waltzing together as if they were in their own little world.

"Is that allowed?" Cecilia asked Lelouch, nodding her head in reference towards the couple.

"Many knights have been dance partners for their princes and princesses, but Suzaku is Japanese, which the Britannians still have yet to accept." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "But he worked his way up in the ranks, so it is only fair he gets treated with the same respect."

"Ah. I forgot he is your best friend whom you love," Cecilia chuckled slightly, not missing the protectiveness in the prince's voice.

"Anyone would care for a friend," Lelouch said just as the music finished. Lelouch never dropped C.C.'s hand or let go of her waist despite it. He kissed the back of her that had originally been resting on his shoulder in thanks. "And anyone would enjoy dancing with a beautiful empress too."

Cecilia smirked at him. "Beautiful, huh?"

The young prince smirked back. "Well, lying to a lady would be inappropriate."

"You are correct," she smiled at him and it was the first time Lelouch had ever seen such a genuine smile among the face of the usual stoic empress.

"Care to join me for a walk in the garden?"

"Of course, prince," Cecilia replied and grabbed the arm Lelouch had put out for her after unattaching himself from her.

Cecilia knew that it would look quite strange for a young prince and young empress to be with one another like this, but they were all gullible and selfish people of royalty who didn't care about anyone else but themselves. Yet… Her being with Lelouch felt she was making choices on her own rather than quietly being an empress. Something she had been for the last few months.

She glanced up slightly at Lelouch, admiring his slightly messy, raven hair and shining amethyst. Not to mention his tall figure that made her crook her head awkwardly when trying to look up at him without notice. He wasn't much on the muscular side, but he wasn't so skinny to the point that it was unattractive. He was a pretty and gentle looking prince. Everything about him screamed _young, _just like her.

Young, intelligent, handsome, and… kind.

A perfect controversy.

And the perfect person to play her game of love.

They arrived in the garden, specifically to an area far in the back of the gardens where no one was around to see them or any _interactions _they might have. She took out closed her fan and pat Lelouch slightly on the chest with it to catch his attention. "Are you ever bored?" It was her way of asking him to play.

"Life itself is boring for me, but if something or _someone_ were to entertain me enough, then maybe I wouldn't be."

He was catching on.

Cecilia unclasped her arm from under his and placed herself directly in front of him, smirking mischievously and cocking her head to the side. "Ah, someone who wishes there was more to life than just the wealthy and privileged one you live?"

"Even privileged people get bored," the prince shrugged.

Cecilia poked him in the chest once again with her fan, this time starting to draw circles in his chest with the object. "How bored then? Bored enough that you'll do anything?"

A wry smile crossed Lelouch's face, his stance straightening a bit more at the tone in her voice. "What are you suggesting, Lady Cecilia?"

"I could keep you entertained," Cecilia said lowly, stepping closer to the prince and dragging her fan down his chest until it stopped right above the waistband of his pants. "And you could love me. It's a game."

Lelouch scoffed lowly while bringing a hand up to play with a strand of her long hair that was hanging over her shoulder. "Love you? That sounds quite absurd."

"Your father - He isn't the best person and I was married off to him as fast as possible once he had shown interest in me, but one thing I never experienced was to learn to love. As most of you are aware, this is a loveless marriage."

"But what's the point when I don't love you?" Lelouch asked in a low voice.

"Oh, you don't have to," Cecilia smirked, bringing her fan up to the side of his face and closing the remaining space that was left between. "All you have to do is let me know what it feels like to be love. I'll be entertaining you and you'll be loving me. All for free. It's like a game."

The raven haired prince rose an eyebrow. "Oh, so this is a game for you?"

Cecilia's smirk widened. "Precisely. Anyone would be interested in a prince and empress fooling around with one another, wouldn't they? Let's give them a show."

The green haired empress placed a soft kiss on his lower jaw for example, which caused Lelouch to slightly recoil. She hummed at his movement and put her fan away, hooking it safely back on her dress. "You're shy."

Despite his slight recoil at her kiss earlier, Lelouch never opened the space between. Something about the empress was mesmerizing… He shouldn't even be in close coordinates with her like this, but his body refused to move.

"No answer? Then… Am I correct?" C.C. spoke, interrupting his train of thoughts.

The prince gave her a small scoff with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not shy," he muttered, bringing a hand to rest on the small of her back to prove it. "You're my father's empress…"

"Now you have a conscious?" she questioned before place another kiss right under his jaw, this time long and sweet.

She was sure she heard something like a moan escape the back on his throat and she grinned before kissing him again right next to his lips. You could love me the way I never have been before, or you could say no and decline my offer," Cecilia whispered to him.

She felt the prince shudder slightly and she took a slight step back, but his hand never left where it was resting on her waist. He looked down into her golden eyes and mumbled, "I don't exactly get much out of this, do I?"

"You said you were bored, so it keeps you entertained, does it not?"

"What type of entertainment do you plan for it to be?"

"Well, let's start slow and small," Cecilia chuckled and walked her fingers up his chest until they rested on his right shoulder. "There's stages to games. And I propose the first game be… A kiss."

A small smirk tugged at Lelouch's lips. "That is small."

"Of course it is," Cecilia smirked herself before closing the gap between them and placing a full kiss on Lelouch's lips this time. Though with hesitancy, it didn't long for Lelouch to respond, bringing both his arms around her waist and pulling her into him until he was sure there wasn't even a meter of space.

His mouth was warm and his lips were soft. If she had anything to describe it as, she'd say his lips felt pretty and gentle - just as the prince himself looked. In eagerness, the empress licked his bottom lip and automatically, his mouth had opened for her to slip her tongue into. He moaned deeply as she explored his mouth for the first time - it wouldn't be the last - and felt a little too giddy at the prince's almost virgin like reaction.

Safe to say, he was inexperienced.

When she pulled away with a satisfied smirk, leaving the prince panting and with a flushed face, Cecilia asked, "Am I your father's empress now?" She placed another kiss on lips again, short and sweet this time. "Or will you play this game of love with me?"

From the look on the prince's face, he was still dazed from their kiss, but was able to reply softly, "This isn't right."

The smirk on Cecilia's face only widened.

"That's why it's fair play."

~.~


End file.
